John McDonald

Winner of the 2014 Archibald Prize, Fiona Lowry with her subject, Penelope Seidler, at the NSW Art Gallery in Sydney. Photo: Janie Barrett

COMMENT

Picking the Archibald winner was almost too easy this year. As soon as one walks into the central gallery of the exhibition, Fiona Lowry’s striking portrait of Penelope Seidler virtually announces: “Here I am!”

If further confirmation were required, it’s worth remembering that she was pronounced the unofficial runner-up last year, with a bilious green portrait of Shaun Gladwell. If the Trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW liked that picture, they must have been ecstatic about this year’s entry in tasteful shades of grey.

2014 Archibald Prize finalists

Lowry has enjoyed a run of success in local art prizes during the past few years and the Archibald is the jewel in her tiara. Ben Quilty was on the panel that gave her the Doug Moran Prize in 2008 and is now a Trustee at the AGNSW. We may assume he is a fan.

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The award continues the trend for giving the prize to artists who might be characterised as young and fashionable, if no longer “emerging”. Del Kathryn Barton, Guy Maestri and Quilty himself have played this role in the past.

The Seidler portrait is arguably Lowry’s most assured and skilful painting to date. It captures an excellent likeness, which is no mean feat when you are painting with an airbrush. Although the image owes a debt to photography, it is not so intrusive as to spoil the overall effect.

Lowry’s growing popularity with private and public collectors is partly due to the edginess of her subject matter. Her work is full of suggestions of sex and violence in the great outdoors.

She won the Doug Moran with a nude self-portrait set in Belanglo State Forest, scene of Ivan Milat’s backpacker killings. With most of Lowry’s works it seems that people are being molested or murdered. Despite the Gothic overtones of these paintings, the tonality is as bright as an overexposed photograph.

In her prize-winning portrait, Lowry has allowed Penelope Seidler to stand around without threat of personal violence, although there is still a slightly sinister feeling about the grey, misty backdrop. Perhaps the ghosts of old Archibald favourites such as W.B. McInnes and William Dargie are lurking in the bushes, appalled by the decadence into which the prize has fallen.

John McDonald is the SMH’s art critic

7 comments

i must be a philistine.dont like the winner at all.paintings, imo, should at least have some colour.

Commenter

Nick

Location

Date and time

July 18, 2014, 3:34PM

Two questions, viz;Who is Penelope Seidler ?Now that an airbrush work is regarded as art, do all the car painters who use airbrush qualify for the government handouts that come the way of "artists" ?

Commenter

Ken

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

July 18, 2014, 3:41PM

Penelope Seidler is an architect. Don't know the answer to your second question!

Commenter

Catherine

Location

Date and time

July 19, 2014, 8:31AM

By far the most deserving winner in the prize.

And in reply to the comment previously by 'ken'; artists don't receive government handouts. There's nothing to stop a car painter from entering the prize.

Commenter

Samuel Condon

Date and time

July 19, 2014, 5:40PM

Yet again, a controversial winner for the Archibald.

One of these days, the trustees will get it right!

Commenter

Rob

Location

Blackheath NSW

Date and time

July 18, 2014, 4:24PM

Whinge, whinge ..... so you don't agree. Wow - what a surprise - there's not 100% agreement. Stop complaining & just enjoy the art and get a life.

Commenter

SmartArts

Date and time

July 18, 2014, 10:06PM

The facial features are drawn too distinctly for the rest of the picture and carry too rigid an expression. This, together with the stiffness of the body, robs the whole picture of fluidity and life. The miasma in the background only accentuates the fault in the drawing.